At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly comparedthe computer industry with the auto industry and stated, "If G.M.had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would allbe driving twenty-five dollar cars that got one-thousand miles to thegallon." In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued apress release stating,

"If G.M. had developed technology like Microsoft, we would allbe driving cars with the following characteristics:

For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

Every time they repainted the lines on the road you would have tobuy a new car.

Occasionally, your car would die on the freeway for no reason, andyou would just accept this, restart, and drive on.

Occasionally, executing a manner such as a left turn, would causeyour car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you wouldhave to reinstall the engine.

Only one person at a time could use the car, unless you bought"Car95" or "CarNT," but then you would have to buymore seats.

Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, reliable,five times as fast, and twice as easy to drive, but would only run onfive per cent of the roads.

The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would bereplaced by a single "general car default" warning light.

New seats would force everyone to have the same size butt.

The airbag system would say "Are you sure?" before goingoff.

Occasionally for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you outand refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the doorhandle, turned the key, and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

G.M. would require all car buyers to also purchase a deluxe set ofRand McNally road maps (now a G.M. subsidiary), even though they neitherneed them nor want them. Attempting to delete this option wouldimmediately cause the car's performance to diminish by fifty percent ormore. Moreover, every time G.M. introduced a new model, car buyers wouldhave to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controlswould operate in the same manner as the old car.

You'd press the "start" button to shut off the engine.